It has been eleven months since I first went to the ear doctor for hearing loss. Since then there have been tests, examinations, prescriptions, a referral, two surgeries, and this week, the final evaluation.
My hearing is in the normal range.
It would have been lovely to be able to tell my mother. She ferried me to doctors and hospitals throughout my childhood, in search of an answer for her youngest child.
Maybe I would have gone into her apartment and played a little game.
"Say something very quietly and I will see if I can hear you!" She would have gone along. Her joy at my healing would have matched mine. Maybe exceeded it.
The audiologist who tested me was friendly. There is often the anxiety when taking such a test to get it right. But not too right. Eager as I am to squeeze the little button in response to a soft beep, I don't want to cheat. I need the results to be real. She smiled when she took off the earphones. I knew what that meant, though they are sworn to secrecy.
I have a new arena for gratitude. Not that there was a dearth before. Being able to listen to people is a source of inexhaustible blessings. I think I will try it out the first chance I get.
